Cheshire's Mueller surpassed his expectations

CHESHIRE -- Red in the face and catching his breath, Cheshire junior Sean Mueller sat down after a routine 8-mile run and reflected on his junior season.

For Mueller, the Register All-Area Cross Country Most Valuable Player, he surpassed his expectations. It was another fulfilling campaign, which followed up the fine one he had as a sophomore.

Mueller won the Southern Connecticut Conference title with a time of 15 minutes, 51.78 seconds this season. He placed second (16:25) at the Class LL state championship meet and third (16:00) at the State Open.

He will have one last opportunity next year, to add to what is an already an impressive resume. He's on track to be the top runner in the state as a senior. Or at the very least, among the best.

But now with elite runners John Raneri of New Fairfield and Wolcott's Chris Bendsten off to college, Mueller seems to be fit for the top spot.

He says his main competition will be Fairfield Prep sophomore Connor Rog. The Jesuits' No. 1 runner won the Class LL title, edging Mueller. But Mueller beat Rog at the SCC meet and the State Open.

"He's really a great runner," Rog said of Mueller. "There's a lot of good runners leaving. With me and Sean, it should be more competitive. It'll be fun. We'll be going at it."

He also mentions Hand junior Dan Nestor, who also finished shortly behind Mueller throughout the season. And he talks about Conard junior Luke Perron, who finished ahead of Mueller at the New England championship meet.

Now, Mueller said he is preparing for track season. He's running eight to 10 miles per week and skipped this year's Foot Locker Cross Country Northeast Regional meet, after running in it the previous two years. He said he needed a break and didn't want to burn himself out.

However, he hopes to gain some valuable experience when he runs against college runners in the Boston Valentine Invitational, along with some of the top runners in the nation at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March.

He's quick to point out some things that need polishing. Mueller said he needs to build up endurance. Though he finished first at the conference meet, he wore down in the final stages and collapsed after crossing the finish line. He also struggled toward the end of the Class LL meet, and Rog's kick was enough to pull ahead of Mueller in that race. Mueller also collapsed at that meet.

Mueller hopes to get faster and more confident with his kick. That's why he has added an array of speed exercises this offseason. He also says nerves were an issue at the New England meet. There he placed 21st, a finish he promises to better next year.

If he improves on those components, who knows what Mueller will be capable of next season.

"He's a determined kid," said Amity senior Ryan Laemel, who ran against Mueller this year and will run at Yale next season. "He had a lot of talent coming out of the middle school level. He's very dedicated. The biggest thing is he's a very good racer. His body is built for it."

It's reasons like those that the wiry, 6-foot-1 Mueller is drawing attention from elite schools like the University of Portland. But for now, Mueller is just focused on progressing and adding to his list of high school accolades.

"It's kind of exciting because those two are on another level," Mueller said about Raneri and Bendsten out of the picture next year. "So that opens the window for opportunity."